Thread: Should I hone after new strop?

I wanted thank everyone for their advice. I did exactly what you guys recommended. Kept my old Dovo strop, sent my razor in and bought a new strop as well. Loving the new strop!
Eventually, I'll learn to hone on my own but until then I'll send mine in as needed.
Wanted to put up a pic of when I put the razor and strop to use.

Since you kept the old Dovo strop you might consider getting some Chromium oxide from SRD preferably and paste the old Dovo for a dedicated refresher strop. this may keep you in the game a bit longer between honing jobs. I think it would be a good economical first step towards your own razor maintenance.

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

I should mention here, Dad never shaved with a straight razor himself, he always used Wilkinson Sword blades and a safety razor. I suspect it was a time issue for him, needing to get to work in the morning, never mind having to shave 20+ people a day on top of the hair cuts. He also swore by using a straight for layering hair in a hair cut, claiming it was superior to "thinning shears" so common these days. Today, Feather of Japan sells replaceable blade hair styling straight razors, which are used by many of the top notch hair stylists.... Who knew, my dad was a trend setter! <grin> I used to ask him to cut my hair with a straight when I was a kid... I loved the feel of the slight tug of the razor vs the buzzing of the electric clippers. I did however, chose to pass on the "warm ice cream" from the Lather King, something kids not in the know, got tricked by, once!

Regards

Kaptain "Nostalgia.... " Zero

In Eastern Europe using a straight to cut hair is nothing new, been done forever and is still done to this day by some barbers. it may not be the norm but yes many barbers still choose this as the primary hair cutting tool.

Romanian barber gives kid a hair cut with straight.

That's cool! thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by MannyFresh360

Hey guys, this is my first thread on here. Sorry if this was previously asked but wanted some clarification before I do anything.

Here's the story:
I got a 5/8" Thiers Issard Straight Razor from the Art of Shaving as a birthday gift a year ago. Wasn't shave ready so I sent it in to Lynn to get it honed and it was amazing. I had the Dovo 2" strop but have since thrown it away since I beat it up learning how to strop correctly and wanted to get a new 3" strop.

Now here's the big question/scenario:

I've maintained the sharpness since it was honed with the usual stropping as I got better. But, my cousin who lives with me used it one day (or tried to use it) and upon stropping and trying to shave with it I noticed it had dull points. More specifically it was sharp throughout the blade but dull in the center. That's when I found out my cousin had used it. I have since disinfected it and all that good stuff. Now what should I do? Regardless I need a new strop which I will purchase but will that do it or do I need another hone and start researching on hones, buying the hones, etc?

Again, I apologize if this was previously mentioned. Thank you in advance for any help/advice!

If your cousin rolled the edge it may need a touch up on the hones. Whether you take it right to a 12-15k or a natural. Would not hurt to do it regardless and then tell your cousin.........HANDS OFF! LOL! To me sharing razors is like sharing a condom! I really would advise against it. To me, a razor is a personal item and once a person if they buy a used razor and disinfects it then gets it ready for use, it is their razor only!

Okay, call me a bit paranoid or possessive but that is me.

Good luck and tell your cousin to buy a bag of disposable Bic razors or buy his own!

Originally Posted by Utopian

Hopefully you had a nice discussion about boundaries after this screw up. Since he used your razor it seems fair for you to clean the bathroom with his toothbrush.

Bwaaaaaa Haaaaaa Haaaaaaa!!!!! I feel the same way!

Best advice I can give. 1. Have your razor honed again by a PRO. 2. Invest in a 3 inch strop (Not an expensive model) which are easier for those newer to stropping. 3. Buy yourself a medium finishing hone eg a 8k Naniwa specialty stone. That way, you know what a sharp razor feels like, ie a Thumb pad test, shave test, and by using a 3 inch strop you will be less likely to nick it even with slightly poor technique (No need to x stroke the strop). Once you reach a stage where the strop no longer keeps the razor sharp, you will have watched every video ever made on touch-ups and the ideal way to improve an edge that has 'Gone off the boil' and doesn't respond to the strop, is a 12 to 15 light strokes on the naniwa 8k. By the time you do that, you most likely have another razor....and the rest my friend is history